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A person began regaining consciousness after a deep dreamless slumber. How the slumber was induced was unknown, but it definitely didn’t feel natural to the riser. The person opened his eyes and noticed that he was lying on a cold floor, so he picked himself up slowly. Rubbing his squinty eyes, the person yawned loudly and stretched his limbs out.

“Hadda’ nice nap?”

The formerly sleeping person whirled around in alarm and spotted a man sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. He was a man not yet his middle ages but over his teenaged years, as he had the evening shadow of a beard shaven in the morning and short, oily brown hair. The man looked extremely well built and had an overall hardened look to him.

“Brock, is it?” The man’s voice was also quite low and gruff.

Brock blinked once, though it was not obvious that he did so, and nodded cautiously.

“No need to be alarmed, kid. Altaďr arranged for me to help extract you guys.” The man stood up and his attire could now be clearly viewed. He wore a heavy dark blue and black vest, probably bulletproof, noted Brock, which had many pockets on the front for magazines of ammunition. A couple of hand grenades could also be spotted hooked into his vest. Under the vest, the man had a dark blue jacket and black gloves on his hands. Looking down, Brock saw that he wore heavy black urban camouflage pants and boots. On his waist, the man had a gun strapped to his right side in a holster, and a radio on his left. The gun left Brock in an uneasy position, despite the man saying he was an associate of Altaďr.

“Ya’ look scared,” chuckled the man. “Well, I guess introducing myself would ease some of that, but I suggest you wake up your friends first before we move along.”

Brock silently complied and began bending down to wake his companions one at a time through shakes and calls. Soon, after much eye rubbing, yawning, and questions about the stranger, the four travelers and Pokémon were seated in the seats that they had sat in while listening to Altaďr’s tale, but now facing towards the man.

“Alright, first off, name’s Dunning, Gabriel Dunning, but just call me Gabe, or Captain Dunning, or whatever. Second, Altaďr called me in to help you guys get outa’ here safely. Third, I’m the captain of the Lightcrown SWAT Team, which is why I got this gear on, and am called a captain.”

“Um, excuse me, Captain Gabe?” said Dawn as she raised her hand politely. The captain grunted in acknowledgement. “What do you mean Altaďr called you to get us out of here?”

“He didn’t exactly fill me in on all the details, as he was in quite a rush, but all he said was that you guys were in danger and need to get out of here safely.”

“Danger!?” exclaimed everyone else simultaneously.

“From what!?” Ash almost shouted.

“And I’ll say again that he didn’t give me all the details.”

“Wait a minute…” Brock cut in. “Are you part of the PDI?”

“No, as I repeat myself, AGAIN,” Captain Dunning emphasized the last word clearly. “I am the captain of the Lightcrown SWAT Team. And yes, Lightcrown has a SWAT Team because of the large scale gang problems that occasionally occur.”

“Then how does Altaďr know you?” Brock continued on interrogating.

“What, do you not trust me?” Captain Dunning crossed his arms.

“Not until you tell us everything we want to know,” Brock said with as much determination as he could. He knew that with the strange occurrences that they have been going through and the information they heard from Altaďr, enemies of the disappeared boy could have tracked him to the hospital they were at, which would mean they would have seen Brock and the gang were associated with Altaďr. Brock now understood the danger that Captain Dunning was speaking about, but it seemed that Ash, Dawn, and May weren’t thinking the same things as he was, so he decided he would keep his concerns to himself to avoid frightening his younger friends.

Captain Dunning nodded as he began to see what Brock’s intentions.

“Alright, year or so ago, we were having a huge problem with the two major gangs of this city; The King’s Men, and The Hand of Light. A little background info, the King’s Men own the entire old sector of Lightcrown as well as a chunk of the new sector, while the Hand of Light owns a large chunk downtown, so they’re a fair distance apart. But one day, each of the gang’s top leader was assassinated by the other, and a huge war began to erupt on the streets of the main sector, the area where the most tourists go. Many civilians were killed as the first shots were fired, and the SWAT Team was instantly called to try to quell the conflict. I was only a sergeant at the time, so I was in the heat of the battles. Now Altaďr comes in when my unit is wiped out by a deadly crossfire and I become the only survivor, pinned down in the middle of the street under a car. That crazy kid, I think he said he was fourteen or something then, jumps out from the top of a store roof and lands in the middle of the firing. Somehow, he was able to not get hit as he slid under the car and pulled me out. And somehow, we were able to make it to safety without being hit. It was some freakin’ miracle.”

Ash, Brock, Dawn, May, and Pikachu all gawked at Captain Dunning as he concluded his tale. The thought of Altaďr running down the streets and dodging bullets, all at age fourteen, seemed unbelievable, but then, Altaďr was not the typical teenaged Pokémon trainer. After all, he did claim to be on an assassination squad.

“So after the whole ordeal ended, me and him got to know each other some. And he actually told me everything about him too, how he was in PDI, and how he was conducting a mission in Lightcrown. What he was doing is beyond me, though. Eventually, he left as his mission was completed, and I didn’t hear from him at all. Meh, I figured that, him being spec-ops and everything. It was just this afternoon that he just randomly appeared in my office, or rather, snuck into my office. I tell ya’ that kid’s got some real talent for that stuff. He gave me a quick briefing on how his current mission in Lightcrown has gone wrong and that he needed me to help protect and transport you guys to a safe place. Of course, since he saved my life and everything, I complied, and here I am.”

“Hmm, his story seems viable. Sounds like Altaďr has quite a colorful past.” Brock was the first to stand and his friends all looked up at him as he did so.

“Alright, so if we’re in danger as you said, where will you be taking us?” Brock furrowed his eyebrows as he was now truly frightened for his life and his friends’. From the sound of things, Altaďr’s mission had to do with The Brotherhood, but something had gone wrong which led to Altaďr ending up wounded. However, the reason for Altaďr knocking them out and disappearing still eluded the breeder. Also, he questioned to himself why Altaďr would decide to ask help from local law enforcement rather than the PDI.

“Wouldn’t the PDI have better protection too?”

“Me and my men will take you to Veilstone City, since that’s a pretty good distance away. Whatever Altaďr is afraid of happening to you guys shouldn’t be an issue there. The police there will take you guys in and keep you all under their protection, until we hear from Altaďr again.”

“So basically, we’re going to be kept under confinement from some ‘threat’ until Altaďr says otherwise?” Ash had a look of rage in his eyes since he could not bear Altaďr taking control of him again. The humiliating battle during their first encounter still left a stigma, and now hearing all the new stories about the teenager, he felt powerless and worthless. He wanted Altaďr to stop being the hero all the time. He wanted to show that he could protect his friends; Pikachu, Brock, Dawn, and… May. He wanted to prove himself, just like Altaďr did, but he wanted to prove himself to just one person.

“I won’t let you kids just wander around vulnerable to whatever dangers may lurk for you guys now. I have a debt to repay, and I won’t let him down.” Captain Dunning glared back at the trainer, hand balled in a fist, but Ash wouldn’t give in so easily either.

“Ash…”

The soft voice that sounded like angels to the boy spun him around instantly as he looked right into May’s eyes staring back at his. This was the first time that she had directly addressed him since the months they had separated. Ash felt his heart soften as he looked into her wonderful sapphire eyes. Her face displayed a mix of anxiety and concern because of the situation they had been dragged in. Ash released his anger and focused all his attention to what she had to say.

“Ash…” May repeated. “I think we should listen to Captain Dunning… and go with him to Veilstone City,” May shifted uneasily as she felt herself blush, knowing too that she was speaking to Ash directly for the first time.

Ash looked at her for one moment longer before nodding his head once. “Ok,” he whispered softly, giving in to his pride and self-worth. He wanted May to feel safe, and if going with Captain Dunning was the way, then he would humble himself and comply.

“It’s not like I woulda’ given you kids a choice, anyway. We leave now, so I’ll explain the plan. I have disguised semi trucks up front so we can leave here without being noticed if there is anybody watching us. You’ll be put into boxes in the storage room down the hall and my men will wheel you guys in to the back of one of the trucks. I have three other semis as escorts, which are filled with my squads, so in case something does happen, you’ll be well defended. I’ll be coming along as well. Also, the trucks are armored on the inside, just as a little insurance. Once you’re all in the truck, you can leave your containers and roam around… the inside of the truck.” Captain Dunning shrugged at his last statement.

“Eh, what can you expect? So you all got the plan?”

The group nodded and Captain Dunning motioned for them to follow him. Dawn checked her Pokétch and saw that the time was 9:09 pm. They had been out for over five hours.

Captain Dunning led the group out of Altaďr’s room and they traveled down the hallway for a very brief period before the captain turned and opened a door that said “Storage.” Inside, four men wearing janitor’s outfits stood ready with boxes large enough to fit a human beside them with dollies. Captain Dunning promptly instructed for the group to each get into a box. Pikachu and Ash both stepped together into one box as Brock, Dawn, and May all stepped into another. The boxes were sealed and there was a jerk as they were lifted onto the dollies. There was one small hole on the box at eye level that allowed light to enter to help ease any claustrophobia, as well allowing the passengers to get a narrow view of what was outside.

After only a few minutes of moving down hallways and going down elevators, though it seemed like half an hour to the occupants of the boxes, they each felt more turbulence as they were wheeled up a ramp and into the semi trucks. The back of the truck was pulled down and only a small light at the top of the truck illuminated the dank interior.

Brock assumed that they were allowed to exit their containers, so he pushed forward to discover that the box could be easily opened. After the breeder went around to all his friends and helped them out of their boxes, they all sat down against the walls of the truck, Brock and May on one side and Ash and Dawn on the other, and remained silent. Many thoughts were running through each of their minds, mostly of nervousness and anxiety, though some were of pure fright, and others were meditating on their situation. The rear of the truck opened once again as Captain Dunning stepped in silently, then closing behind him. He nodded to the other four occupants as he shouldered an assault rifle that was leaning against the wall. The sight of the heavy weapon sent chills up everyone’s spine, for they could not imagine what kind of danger would require such a weapon besides a large gunfight.

A short wait ensued before the sound of an igniting engine could be heard and movement was felt. They were off. Off to an unclear future.

-------------------

Several hours had passed in silence as each member of Ash’s group was sitting in his or her own corner of the truck. Everyone needed some alone time to sort thoughts and recuperate from the sudden turn of events. None of them had expected that their journeys would have altered in the manner it had been.

The single fluorescent lamp swung lazily from side to side due to the jostling of the truck. Low roars from the truck could be heard through the wall, but it was impossible to tell where they were, as there were no windows to look out of.

The feeling of isolation and containment began creeping into Ash’s psyche, and restlessness started to overtake him. Over the course of their trip, he had stood up and paced in his corner, bit his nails, did sit-ups and push-ups, and tapped the wall. The teenaged boy just couldn’t sit still as he and his friends were being transported to an unknown destiny.

The trainer looked down at his Pokémon, and his Pokémon looked back at him. Pikachu had been quietly sitting with Ash, and he too, felt his trainer’s emotions. The Electric Mouse would continuously let sparks fly from his cheeks and run in circles to ease the restlessness.

“Pikachu… what are we?”

“Ka?” Pikachu ceased his pacing and looked up at his trainer worriedly.

“Are we… a good team? Are we… strong?” Ash allowed his head to hang lower after each statement.

“Pika Pikachu Pikapi!” exclaimed Ash’s best friend, as if to admonish his trainer for saying such things.

“Then why do I always have to have my hand held? Why do I always have to fall and have somebody catch me? Just look at Altaďr. He’s lived alone most of his life, and now he’s found true strength.”

“Is it really true strength?” said a gruff voice from Ash’s right. The teenager quickly looked up and saw Captain Dunning standing no more than a couple of meters away, listening to his conversation with Pikachu.

“I couldn’t help but overhear, since you’re the only one talking right now.” The captain took a few steps towards Ash as he squatted down beside him, gun laid aside. “Seems like you’re having a few troubles, kid.”

The sound of the word ‘kid’ caused Ash to twitch. The word kid meant that he was young and helpless, requiring someone’s aid. The word meant that he could not look out for himself and needed support whenever he was put down. The word meant he was weak.

“I’m not a kid,” mumbled Ash in a low voice.

“I see now.” Captain Dunning took a seat and stretched one leg forward while bending the other at the knee with his arm on top of it. “You’re comparing yourself to him, aren’t you?”

“No! I was just-“

“I did too.”

The words that the teenaged boy was spitting out were lost as he heard this. He closed his mouth and opened it once again as if he was about to say something, but then closed it again.

“How do you think it felt when being part of an elite police unit but then being rescued by a kid barely in his teens?”

Ash could not answer.

“How do you think it felt learning that he was part of the top private military corporation serving under one of the most secretive units in existence?”

The boy had no response.

Captain Dunning’s voice had been rising as he asked his rhetorical questions, but he caught himself and lowered his voice as he continued.

“You see, Altaďr is one of a kind. As much as I like him and am grateful for him saving my life, I cannot say he’s normal. He does not fit into society.”

This caused Ash to turn and look at Captain Dunning in the eye for the first time since their trip began. What the captain was saying took hold of all of Ash’s attention. Even Pikachu was completely focused on the captain.

“This is what I learned after observing him shortly after I experienced the same feelings as you. Do not feel inferior ‘cause he can do all the stuff you can’t. You’re not supposed to be like Altaďr. Nobody is.”

Ash looked at the man with amazement. It was almost like he was saying that Altaďr was something not human. But then again, how many teenaged boys get recruited into private militaries and assigned to assassination squads? Still, one thought still bothered the trainer.

“Can I protect May… protect all of us… in this mess?”

“Just keep that in mind, kid.” Captain Dunning picked up his weapon and walked away to the far end.

This time, the word didn’t bother Ash at all. He was too deep in thought of what the captain had said about Altaďr.

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard outside, and all momentum of their trailer stopped, causing all the occupants to land on the floor. The two females of the let out screams while the males grunted. Pikachu gave a “Chaaaa…” as he rolled along the floor.

“What’s going on!” yelled Brock as he tried to pick himself off the ground.

Two more explosions were heard outside, this time even louder, which meant that they were closer. Then, a sound similar to that of pebbles hitting metal could be heard on the walls of the trailer they were in. Popping noises could also be heard in the distance, coming in short and long bursts.

Without answering Brock, Captain Dunning grabbed the radio from his waist and yelled into it.

“WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE?!” The captain’s eyes were opened wide and his voice was hard.

Through his radio came the sound of more of the popping noises and the sound of screams. Among the apparent chaos, a faint voice could be heard by only the captain.

“Under - - - Need Rein- - - - AHHH! - - - .” The transmission was cut off by static emitting through the radio. Captain Dunning swore under his breath as he holstered his radio and pulled the bolt of his assault rifle.

“You guys. Stay. Here,” said the captain with authority. He ran towards the rear and began to work the door open until an extremely loud bang came from near the front of the trailer.

All the occupants turned to face that end and what they saw was a giant hole on the left side of the trailer. The sounds outside could now be heard more clearly, and the sounds were of a familiar nature. They could now be identified more as sharp cracks than pops, and they were becoming more numerous as the seconds went on.

Soon after the hole was created, several objects entered through the hole and fell onto the trailer floor with resounding thuds. The teenagers watched from a distance with curiosity, but the captain instantly recognized what the objects were and began grabbing the others’ arms and pulled them to the ground.

“GET DOWN, NOW!”

Then a sound resembling a spark came from the direction of the alien objects, and a hissing could be heard.

“SHI-,” but before Captain Dunning could finish, he dropped to the floor and was out cold.

“AHH!” screamed Dawn. “WHAT HAPPENED TO HI-,” but Dawn’s words were also cut off as she too, fell to the floor.

Before any of the three remaining people and Pokémon could utter a sound, they too, all fell to the floor and went out cold. The last living thing to lose consciousness was Pikachu, and before his eyes fully closed, he saw forms coming through the hole at the end of the trailer, and he was able to recognize one holding an object similar to that of what Captain Dunning held before his vision was lost.

----------------

Afterthought

Don’t worry, things will start cooling down after this chapter.

And now an announcement. I will be going to Taiwan today and will be back in 2 weeks (July 9th), so there will be a lack of updates during this period. Though it's not like I haven't updated for 2 weeks before.

“So basically, we’re going to be kept under confinement from some ‘threat’ until Altaďr says otherwise?” Ash had a look of rage in his eyes since he could not bear Altaďr taking control of him again. The humiliating battle during their first encounter still left a stigma, and now hearing all the new stories about the teenager, he felt powerless and worthless. He wanted Altaďr to stop being the hero all the time. He wanted to show that he could protect his friends; Pikachu, Brock, Dawn, and… May. He wanted to prove himself, just like Altaďr did, but he wanted to prove himself to just one person.

Come on Ash, you've saved the world a couple of times. You're better than Altair's supernatural genetic enhancements (yes, I'm clinging onto that theory - even though I'm probably wrong ). Plus, you can use the Aura!

Anyway, great chapter, and an interesting turn of events. Of course, they're not dead and we know that.
Also, May talks to Ash! Keep it up, and bring on the shippyness. Sorry, but I didn't spot any mistakes...I'm kinda in a hurry.

-Fix the errors for the last 3 chapters that I've neglected to correct.
-Fix stupid FF.net since it doesn't like the way I write my stuff.

Kay, work work.

Earthborn

Aah, another soul inspired by Video Games.

Ftw.

Yay for shippyness!

Ftw.

Come on Ash, you've saved the world a couple of times. You're better than Altair's supernatural genetic enhancements (yes, I'm clinging onto that theory - even though I'm probably wrong ). Plus, you can use the Aura!

I think Ash (and me) need a reminder of all that. =P

Anyway, great chapter, and an interesting turn of events. Of course, they're not dead and we know that.
Also, May talks to Ash! Keep it up, and bring on the shippyness. Sorry, but I didn't spot any mistakes...I'm kinda in a hurry.

That'd be a depressing end to my story.

Well, I got a lot of things planned for the new part. A little too much maybe... I'm having trouble sorting it all through my head.

Though all his accomplishments in movies and stuff always seem to be forgotten in the series. Except for Aura, he could detect it in Riolu. And I only know that from reading random articles on Bulbapedia.

A dark forest was all that existed for miles on end, and in the black night, its boundaries seemed limitless. There was a deathly silence in the forest, as not a living creature stirred in the hour. A strong wind blew through the leaves every so often, creating the only sound in the area. The floor of the forest contained heavy vegetation and little light in the daytime, making it always seem like night, even on the brightest days. It was a forest that few had much knowledge of and few ventured into. It was the perfect place to be isolated.

The morning sun began to rise over the mountains in the horizon, casting its rays over the canopy of the forest. No light shined on the forest floor, but there was one living thing that felt the sun heating the trapped air of the forest. That one living thing began stirring as the clothing that he wore began to cause him to sweat. He rolled over several times and finally, as if activated by a switch, his eyes opened.

Captain Dunning was sprawled out on his back on the ground, and once his eyes opened, he saw the tall rugged trunks and high canopy towering over him. The scene was incomprehensible to him at that moment as his consciousness still eluded him. His eyes only wandered in a cycle, admiring the trees in all their glory, but soon, the man’s mind returned to him, and he quickly sprang to his feet.

Reaching down to his holster for his sidearm, Captain Dunning did not feel the familiar grip of his pistol. Confused, he looked down and saw that it had been removed, meaning that somebody didn’t want him to have the power of deadly force with him. However, he swiftly reached into his vest and searched around for another item. Feeling it brought him a touch of hope, and he pulled out an item that was shaped like another pistol. However, this pistol did not fire bullets, but instead tranquilizer darts, but it was the only form of defense the Captain had remaining. Relief passed through him since whoever had disarmed him neglected to remove the tranquilizer gun from him, or just couldn’t find it.

He then set out, tranquilizer pointing forward at the ready, walking slowly and quietly over the dirt ground and light vegetation. As he ventured on, the vegetation grew thicker, and travel became more difficult and noisy. The Captain didn’t know why, but his gut feeling told him that this forest was not any normal forest. It even felt like he somewhat recognized the forest, or just somehow knew of it like he had read about it before. Captain Dunning pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he pushed on, determined to find out where he was and what he was doing there.

He then pushed through a large bush, and he found himself on short cliff, looking down into a quarry. Making a quick decision to press on, the Captain slid his way down the cliff and landed inside the pit. Bringing his gun forward, he slowly began walking through the pit, ready to combat any sudden encounters. The tension was high, and a foul air seemed to blow through. A drop of sweat dripped down his temples, like he was in a hostage standoff, waiting for the captor to make a mistake.

In the dimly lit pit, Captain Dunning was unable to see more than several meters, but a strange noise echoed along the walls of the pit. It was a deep sound, one of a familiar nature, but at the same time the source of the sound eluded the Captain. He squinted his eyes in an attempt to gain a clearer view of his surroundings, only to give in to the futility of it. Captain Dunning continued moving forward, but at a more cautious stance, still trying to identify the sound.

Then a rare occurrence happened. Through a small opening in the trees, a sliver of light was cast down onto the moist earth. The light attracted Captain Dunning’s eyes in the darkness, and he soon changed his course to approach the light. It was like food for the Captain’s eyes after being starved from light for so long. Soon, he was upon the small illuminated circle that had managed to penetrate through the trees. Captain Dunning looked up at the thin beam and stared lazily at the hole through which the light entered.

The noise then sounded again, but this time, it was much closer to Captain Dunning. He was able to locate the source coming from the right, and he quickly spun in that direction with his tranquilizer gun aimed. What he saw confirmed his fears of the forest, and he knew that if Ash and his friends were also in the forest, they would be in great danger.

The looming creature in the darkness then opened its two eyes, and stood up with its four legs, claws at the ready. It growled menacingly at the puny human before him, and snapped its claws for intimidation. Even with the odds against him, the Captain carefully aimed down the sight of his gun and waited for his opponent to make its first move.

“Come and get me, ya’ big purple freak.”

--------------------

“ARGH, WERE WE KNOCKED OUT AGAIN?!”

A very irate trainer picked himself off the ground and looked around him. Being put to sleep once was one thing, but twice in the same day was extra frustrating to the teenaged boy. At least, he thought it was the same day.

After a few moments of venting, the trainer calmed himself down and began to notice the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Uh… where am I?” said Ash out loud.

He looked around and realized that besides the trees and vegetation, he was the only living thing around, so he realized that he was talking to himself.

Then a shocking fact hit him.

“Pikachu? Are you around here?” the boy first asked quietly.

There was no response from his best friend.

“Pikachu?! PIKACHU?!” panicked Ash.

Another jarring reality hit the trainer as he momentarily stopped his calling for Pikachu.

“My Pokéballs are gone!” he yelled into dark forest. Things were beginning to get worse and worse for Ash as he realized the predicament he was in.

“PIKACHU!!” screamed Ash one last time in desperation. If Pikachu did not hear that call, then he was definitely no where near him.

No call from his best friend returned, and Ash began to feel isolation creeping into him, making him suddenly feel great fear inside the dark forest. The trees seemed to close in on him, and the darkness engulfed everything around him. He had been separated from Pikachu many times before, but that separation was usually caused by Team Rocket, and he always was able to rescue his buddy. Now, Pikachu was no where to be found, and Ash had no idea where his friend could be. He didn’t even know where he was. Claustrophobia began to set in as Ash began backing up to try to escape the dreadful setting, only to run his back into a tree. Finally breaking, the teenaged boy broke into a run and began sprinting aimlessly, trying to escape from the forest prison.

The trainer’s eyes bulged as they searched wildly around for anything that wasn’t a tree or bush, but nothing changed as he continued to run. It was like he was running on a conveyer belt, as nothing seemed to move around him. The trees began to look identical, and it felt like he was running in place. Soon, fatigue took over the boy’s body, and he collapsed onto his knees, then his front. From a bush not far from where Ash collapsed, a pair of eyes observed the fainted boy.

--------------------

She was alone.

It had been a long time since she was last alone.

Her friends and Pokéballs were gone, and there was not a sound about.

Dawn sat against a tree with her arms holding her legs against her chest. The lack of light itself was enough to cause the girl to become frozen stiff, and adding the seemingly endless horde of trees and bushes in every direction was no encouragement.

It wasn’t particularly fear or isolation that froze her, though those emotions were present within her, it was something else.

It was the fact that she didn’t know what to do.

When she was with her friends, there was always a path set for her. The road to the next gym leader or the next Pokémon contest was always present. Ash in particular was the main driving force as he was always pumped and ready to tackle whatever obstacles lay before him to continue on his journey. It was always inspiring to her how even if he was beaten back, Ash would always recompose himself and try again, and that would usually end in success. Perhaps that was the reason why Dawn admired and liked him so much.

It was different for her though, because there was no possible with the way to have a rematch with the way contests were run. Just recently in the Hearthome City Contest, she was knocked out early in the appeal round, creating an abrupt void in her young coordinating career. A deep disappointment and blow to her self-esteem followed the defeat, and there was no way she could redeem herself like Ash would in a rematch. The only time she could test herself again was during another contest, which are few are far compared to random Pokémon battles that Ash would get into with various trainers.

The path for Dawn was so linear, since the few contests create a do or die scenario for coordinators like her. So for the young coordinator, forks in the road are few and far, and always daunting obstacles. And now was one of them.

With her lack of independence, Dawn could not conjure the thoughts needed for survival in the dark forest. She always had Ash and Brock helping her along, mentoring her, feeding her, housing her, and the likes. Her journey started out right in the hands of the two older males, but now with them gone, she was at a complete loss.

She could only sit there and wait.

-----------------

A sound rang in Ash’s ear, but in the boy’s half-conscious state, he couldn’t identify what the sound was. Seconds passed before the sound came again, and this time recognizing the nature of the sound he was brought into consciousness. He opened his eyes wide in alarm, and pushed himself off the ground to begin running towards the direction of the source.

All the past feelings of isolation and fear momentarily left him as the sound signified that there was another human presence in the forest brought him hope, but realizing that the sound was a cry of distress unnerved him at the same time. It was almost like he had heard the voice many times before as well.

Then a voice entered Ash’s ears, and he instantly recognized it.

“Get away… whatever the heck you are!”

“MAY!” yelled Ash as he dove through a cluster of vegetation, tripping as he did so and falling into a roll.

“Ash!” screamed May as she turned around seeing him crash through the bushes.

The teenaged boy quickly picked himself off the ground and stood cautiously. “What’s going on?!” he exclaimed while wildly glancing around in the darkness.

“THAT!” May pointed upwards at a large hulking figure that stood only a few meters before them.

In the darkness, it was almost impossible to see any details about the giant, but Ash could see a pair of large white eyes and a pair of some sort of extending limb from both sides of them. The thing let out a deep growl as it leaned towards the two humans threatening.

There was no time for fear; only adrenaline and the thought of protecting May coursed through Ash’s body. To him, running wasn’t a viable option since the area in which they were was enclosed on all sides by thick forage. Thinking on his feet, the trainer swept a large, thick tree branch from the ground a few meters away and held it in front of him, ready to do battle with the large monster before them.

The low growl emanated from the figure again, and began approaching Ash and May slowly. May gasped as she brought her hands together under her chin. Instinct told her to run away, to grab Ash and run away, but the sight of the boy she had barely spoken to in the past few days standing fast with little armament against an intimidating beast compelled her to stay. However, the fear of him being seriously injured by whatever was threatening them still pierced her.

Ash peered at his enemy through narrowed eyes as he watched it approach him ever so slowly. The growls from whatever the thing was steadily grew louder and soon became snarls of hostility. However, Ash was not shaken. In his mind, there was too much at stake for him to risk attempting to escape and having the stalker become a pursuer. Even though his Pokémon were not in his possession, he could feel each of them encouraging and cheering him on, especially Pikachu. He knew what he had to do, and even if he failed, it would give May the chance to make her escape.

“May,” Ash began, but was cut off.

“No…” the coordinator said softly. “Don’t do this alone… We can run together… We can hide together…”

For a second, Ash was brought considered her suggestions. They could run. They could hide. They could work together. But for some reason, a force inside him was urging him to follow through with his own foolish plan. A voice of someone resonated through his head, repeating words Ash had heard before.
“So you abandoned her?”

The voice echoed as he turned his head to look back at May, who in turn stared back into his eyes with fear in her face. Suddenly, it hit him. He knew why he was doing what he was doing something so nonsensical. Why he was chose to fight instead of flee. Then, for no particular reason, Ash answered the question out loud.

“No, I didn’t, and I never will." Ash gave a little smile to May as he said that. It wasn’t his usual cocky smile either, but one of sweetness, affection, and a bit of sadness. May’s mouth opened in slight surprise, but before she could show any response, Ash turned away and sprung into a charge for the opportunity to prove himself.

One thing I'm noticing is that some of your descriptions seem redundant. Take this one, for instance.

It was like he was running on a conveyer belt, as nothing seemed to move around him. The trees began to look identical, and it felt like he was running in place.

Granted, it seems like you had two different ideas of what to write there, and forgot to delete one, but you seem to be describing the same things without varying each description sort of often, like overusing 'light' (not to mention, 'conveyor' is misspelled there).

So, we don't know what's become of Brock, yet. Eh, oh well. And my guess at the hunter Pokemon is Drapion.

Um, I'm not really sure how I was going to respond to that. Oh well, here's the response.

Alright, that was a bit of an interlude. Still no sign of my favorite assassin though. I'll leave it to the others to correct typos and such.

Yeah, he'll be on vacation like I was.

swampert55

It's rude to ignore your PM list, you know.

Wow, I guess it really has been a while.

Threatening what?

-ly.

A Nidoqueen?

IT's KOFFING - GODDAMIT! (Hopefully you already picked up the internet reference from a response from above.

GrizzlyB

Seriously. I rarely come here unless PM'd.

I knew I forgot to do something last night.

Granted, it seems like you had two different ideas of what to write there, and forgot to delete one, but you seem to be describing the same things without varying each description sort of often, like overusing 'light' (not to mention, 'conveyor' is misspelled there).

I guess the reason for that is because I write things on separate days sometimes, so I forget what I wrote on a previous date and write it again.

So, we don't know what's become of Brock, yet. Eh, oh well. And my guess at the hunter Pokemon is Drapion.

Brock landed in paradise. No just kidding, I don't really know yet either.

Anyway, yeah this chapter was more focused on random character development, because I felt like exercising that aspect of my writing. That, and prove I still know what actually goes on in Pokemon.

“AHHHH!” yelled a young trainer wielding a tree branch as he charged whatever creature loomed before him.

“ASH! NO!”

Ash neared the beast until he was only a few steps away from it, and then leapt up to attempt to strike his foe with his weapon. However, with agility that few would think it could have, the large creature made a 180 degree turn and struck its attacker violently with its tail. Ash felt the wind knocked out of him as the blow connected with his abdomen while he was still airborne. The powerful blow knocked him backwards, sending him tumbling on the ground for several meters.

A shriek of fear and concern emanated from May’s throat as she watched the trainer roll along the hard forest floor, then stopping halfway between her and the monster. In her mind, she could not decide if Ash was being a brave hero, or a foolish boy, but one thing was certain, and it was that Ash stood no chance against whatever was assaulting them and could possibly be killed.

“Ash, please stop!” May called to Ash as he slowly picked himself off the ground, using his branch as support. “You can’t fight whatever that thing is by yourself! You’ll get seriously injured! Or worse...”

For a moment, the beaten teen seemed to return to his senses, and he turned his head to gaze at the girl that had his heart. He looked into her wide sapphire eyes and admired their beauty, then changed his view to her entire face. Though it was filled with fright and anxiety, it still looked like the face of an angel to him.

A low growl came from his front, and Ash changed his gaze back to his opponent. The bubbly feelings he just had disappeared, and a sort of rage took over his mind. It wasn’t that he was angry at the beast for attacking them, it was that he was frustrated that he was still powerless, no matter how dire the situation. If Altaďr was around, he would probably dispose of the creature in a few simple moves, with or without his Pokémon. Ash didn’t know why, but he wanted to be like him. He wanted to have physical strength that was permanent, not powers like Aura which he could only seem to call upon at some times, or strange connections with Legendary Pokémon. Though those attributes set him apart as well, they proved useful at only a few particular situations.

Now he wanted the power to always protect May. Or was that the actual reason? Maybe a little jealousy also contributed to his thirst for strength. After all, he did see Altaďr and May together at that dance…

“No, I can’t stop now…” Ash said in a low voice, barely above a whisper.

“But…” May didn’t know what else she could say to get the boy that truly had her own heart to stop. But with those feelings of affection she had, pain came attached as well. The memories of how she could not receive any signs of affection back from him and then deciding to pursue Drew plagued her, and the sight of Ash and Dawn together at the dance felt like blades cutting into her when she first saw them. However, the memories of pain were pushed away as now her entire attention was focused on Ash and the dangerous situation they were in.

“HERE I COME!” Ash roared at his opponent as he faced forward and began charging.

May could only watch in horror as the next series of events took place.

Ash once again charged straight at the beast and jumped into the air, but the beast, easily able to predict the trainer’s simple tactics, was prepared to end this fight once and for all. As Ash began to bring his weapon down to strike the creature’s abdomen, it bent down low and out of the shadows, two claws came forward and slashed diagonally in opposite directions, aimed directly at the person charging; Ash.

From the teenaged boy's perspective, it was a quick flash, a funny feeling across his chest, and the force of being propelled violently backwards. Instead of tumbling this time, he remained on his back as he slid, causing a great burning sensation and him to grunt in pain.

This time, no words exited May’s mouth, and instead she rushed to where Ash had stopped after sliding. She dropped to her knees beside the teen and quickly began to look him over. What she witnessed caused her to make a sort of choking noise in her throat as she viewed the carnage before her.

Across Ash’s chest were two large gashes in an X shaped pattern that ripped right through his clothing. Blood seeped through the wounds and spread along the fabric of his vest, darkening the yellow line across it. The cuts looked to be fairly deep, and without proper medical support, blood loss could soon be a problem. May felt herself shaking as she hovered over his chest, trying to come up with some way to treat him, but knowing that she was unable to do so without a medical background. She wasn’t able to let tears loose, as the only emotion in her mind was a stunned sensation and increasing panic.

Then she looked at his face, and the sight of that caused her to break down further. Ash’s face displayed not a look of contortion or pain, but instead a peaceful look, like he had just died a peaceful death. He was passed out due to the shock and no breath seemed to come from his slightly ajar mouth. His eyes were open, but they only gave a blank, lifeless stare. The thought of him actually being gone finally hit May hard, and a choked sob escaped her throat.

“No… Ash… why did you have to go do that…” she whispered as her chest tightened and her face became hot. Her eyes felt as if they were burning while they began to water up.

A grunt came from above May, causing her to look upwards straight into the glowing eyes of the humongous beast towering over her. She gave a quick shriek and quickly backed off several meters in fear. Though it was still relatively dark, May could now make out several characteristics of the monster. In fact, it looked like some sort of Pokémon, with its gaping mouth and armored body. She had never seen any Pokémon that fit that description before though, so she knew nothing about its abilities or behavior.

The Pokémon then stepped over Ash’s limp body and stretched its long neck so it could take a good look at the puny human that had just tried to combat it. Suddenly, a switch was turned inside May as she thought of a way of getting Ash away from the Pokémon and into safety. She knew that with his wounds, Ash may not live much longer even if the Pokémon did not attack him again. Ash had protected and rescued her so many times before, and now it was time to return the favor.

Clenching her hands into fists, the coordinator stood up and took a step towards the Pokémon that threatened her best friend, and prepared herself for what was to come.

“I won’t let you hurt him anymore.”

----------------

“Dammit, bugger nearly tore my leg straight off.”

Captain Dunning grunted and cursed as he limped his way out of the quarry, just putting down his adversary with a few well placed tranquilizer shots. However, the battle did not go about without wounds to the Captain.

“Gotta dress this before I start losing too much blood… not that it would matter if I got poisoned.”

Finally reaching the top of the incline, Captain Dunning let himself collapse as the physical strain of scaling the incline with an injury was a bit overbearing, even for a well trained policeman like him. He panted heavily as he rolled over onto his back, staring up into the dark canopy that shadowed the world below.

“Ugh… ha… it seems like… ha… some poison is starting to… ha… kick in…” sweat was now starting to roll off his brow, and a feverish tinge blotched his cheeks. He needed an antidote, and quick.

But the poison was now causing his muscles to weaken, disallowing him to work himself onto his feet. The Captain could only lie there staring at the trees as his fever continued to rise and his vision began to blur. His breathing was becoming shallower by the seconds, as the muscles of his lungs were being affected by the poison.

Unfortunately, the embrace of death included an object hitting his forehead. Strangely, the object was soft and squishy, so it simply plopped onto his forehead and stayed there. Captain Dunning slowly opened his eyes once again, being interrupted from his death.

“Whuzz…zat?” he slurred while using much effort to move his right arm onto his face and feel for the object. He removed the soft object from his head and used his last remaining strength to hold it above his eyes.

“Pecha…?” and then the Captain blacked out.

---------------

“Now I know I definitely heard something that time.”

It was impossible to tell the time of the day, but to a certain Pokémon breeder, it was nearing the time that he generally cooked dinner. His matriarchal instincts never failed him.

“Somebody… or something, is watching me. I can just feel it.”

Brock spun around several times quickly, trying to catch whatever was tailing him by surprise and in the open, but he came to no such luck. A bead of sweat dripped down his temple as paranoia unnerved him. Usually, he was able to remain calm and collected in such situations, but for some reason, the combination of the darkness and the silent forest was able to break down his logical sense of reasoning.

“Ghosts. Is it ghosts? Ghost Pokémon maybe? Or… real ghosts?”

His ears were on full alert, waiting for the slightest sound to catch their attention so their owner could finally solve the mystery of what was going on. Brock stood motionless for a good ten minutes, then twenty, then a half hour, but no sound entered his ears.
“I think I’m just being… paranoid… that’s it.”

Feeling more secure, Brock continued on his endless trek, not knowing where to go or what to do. As he mindlessly wandered, his thoughts began to float to back to all the events that had happened in the past five days, with the advent of meeting Altaďr, the discovery of the Pokémon contest, the contest training, Dawn’s encounter in the alley, the start of the Pokémon contest, Altaďr’s strange behavior, Altaďr’s confession and disappearance, the orders from Captain Dunning, and finally their excursion. It was a lot to happen in just five simple days, though it wasn’t like Brock hadn’t had similar timelines of crazy events. However, the current situation he was under seemed to have an unusual sort of direct threat toward him and his friends, with Captain Dunning being assigned to them with heavily armed personnel. It had been a while since Brock and his friends had encountered anything exciting, but this was a little over the top for his wishes.
“Man, I’ve never come across a guy like Altaďr either. I mean I’ve met agents from different kinds of organizations, like Lance from the Pokémon G-Men, and Jack Walker from the Pokémon Rangers, but Altaďr has a kind of… different air to him. And the organization he works for… what was it? The PDI? It stands for Pokémon Defense Initiative? What do they really do? How come no one’s ever heard of them before? I’m pretty sure if they’re working for the government, they have to be recognized somehow right? Unless the government is hiding their existence from us! But why?”

A breeze began to whistle as it passed the canopy high above. It was an extremely windy day because of the Foehn winds of the nearby mountains, but little of the wind could be felt in the forest as the dense leaves of the trees that spanned over 20 meters high shielded the floor from the majority of the harsh winds. Deep in thought, the whistles passed seamlessly through his brain and cancelled out all other noise that went on around him, whatever little noise there was in the forest excluding the wind.

“If you ask me, any secret organization that performs covert military operations sounds like bad news to me, mercenaries or not. I mean, Altaďr knocked us out to get on with his mission for crying out loud! But then, why did he give us so many details about his mission if he was heading out to complete it?

Brock subconsciously stopped as he began to ponder the agent’s motives. It was definitely strange for a covert operative to divulge a great amount of detail to a bunch of random travelers, and Brock felt finicky over the possibilities of reasons.

Suddenly, the breeder’s foot ran into an object on the ground and kicked it slightly forward. The contact snapped Brock out of his thinking trance, and he glanced down to see what he had hit, and what he saw was caused him to jump back slightly.

“What-What’s this d-doing here?” he stammered.

On the ground lay an assault rifle, similar to the one that Captain Dunning carried on the truck. For all he knew, the rifle could be the exact same one that Captain Dunning did carry; there was no way to tell it apart from any other ordinary rifle. What was most jarring was the fact that it was just lying there in the middle of nowhere on the forest floor, as if it had been waiting for him. Brock didn’t think he was anywhere near the place they… actually, he had no idea what area he was thinking about. He could remember that he and his friends were being transported to Veilstone City, but he could not remember how he ended up in the forest in the first place. One minute, they were sitting in a semi-truck and the next, he was alone lying on the ground.

Brock merely stared at the deadly weapon that seemed to beckon him to pick it up, but using his better senses, Brock felt he had no reason to arm himself, and he opted to ignore it. However, that feeling vanished immediately.

“DRAAAAAA!”

“WHAT THE!?” Brock managed to fall to his side just in time to avoid a quick flash from connecting with his chest. Whatever had tried to attack him was now directly on top of him, and if Brock didn’t act soon, he’d be cut up into Swiss cheese.

Acting on adrenaline and self-defense, the breeder snatched the weapon that was beside him and quickly pulled the bolt and aimed it upwards at his assailant. But as he was just about to pull the trigger, he faintly saw the shape of some sort of large Pokémon staring down at him through his blurred vision due to the adrenaline. The man and the Pokémon stared into each other’s eyes, and saw the fear in one another. Neither made a single movement.

Then finally coming back to his senses, he realized that the fact that the attacker was a Pokémon alone caused him to hesitate, and then he lowered the rifle.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” the breeder said in a soft, but firm tone.

The Pokémon only stared back, and its next move was unreadable by Brock.

The eyes of an unconscious police captain flickered as he stirred from a deep slumber. As his senses came to, the first distinct sense was his taste as a sweet flavor invaded his tongue. The taste was familiar in nature, and the Captain also noticed the inside of his mouth felt sticky. Soon, the rest of his consciousness returned, and he reabsorbed his surroundings.

Captain Dunning blinked several more times, regaining his focus, and the image of tall trees came into view, which wasn’t surprising to him as he knew full well where he was after having been in the forest for so long. What was surprising, though, was the fact that he was still alive. The Captain could clearly recall being wounded by the attacking Pok&#233;mon which also resulted in his poisoning. He remembered the intense fever he experienced soon afterward and then going unconscious. He also remembered an object falling onto his forehead, but he could not conjure the name, or even what the object looked like. It was no real matter to him, though. The point was that he was alive, and feeling well too, and he had a mission to carry out, if the mission was still even in effect at that point.

The Captain slowly picked himself off the cold dirt and worked his way to a stand. His body was stiff and sore from the earlier fight, however long ago that was. He took a quick glance around and spotted his tranquilizer gun lying next to him, and he painfully bent down and picked it back up. He then pulled the chamber of the gun back and let the magazine slide out from the handle, showing him that he was down to his last dart. Reloading the dart back in, he set out once again in search of Ash and the others.
“Which direction do I start though? Ah, no point wasting time in thinking about it. Guess I’ll just go this way.”

Setting out in a random direction, the Captain grunted as his joints ached and his cuts burned. There would be a lot of wandering to come in the lifeless forest as the Captain knew the kind monstrosities it held.

The location of the forest was between two small chains of mountains that jutted out of the side of the main chain of mountains that ran through Sinnoh. It was an uninhabited region as it was packed from mountain to mountain to trees, and the Pok&#233;mon that lived in there were known to be very aggressive, thus earning it the name the Blood Forest.

The Blood Forest was a sort of phenomenon, striking fear into anyone to which the name was mentioned to, but also at the same time attracting trainers seeking the most aggressive Pok&#233;mon in perhaps all the regions. The few who dared to wander in to attempt to capture a prize were often known to disappear eternally; bodies, in one piece or several, never exited. There were some survivors, but such were the trainers only cowardly, or rather smart enough to travel only within the first kilometer of the boarders of the forest. No rescue was ever sent into the forest further than that limit, even for distress calls of survivors past that point. Those survivors did not last much longer.

Captain Dunning knew that they must have been deep in the Blood Forest, which was never traversed by any human that survived. He knew that the forest was divided into five main territories of the five main species of Pok&#233;mon that resided in the thirty square kilometer area: Houndoom, Rhyperior, Scizor, Dusknoir, and Drapion. They were in the Drapion Territory.

The exact positions of the territories were unknown to any human, but the Drapion Territory was suspected to be around the deep center of the Blood Forest. Escape seemed to be impossible; even if Dunning was able to link up with the rest of the group, they would have to traverse through kilometers of hostile Pok&#233;mon with no Pok&#233;mon of their own. His own Pok&#233;mon was taken away along with his gun and equipment. Concern for his friend now surged through his body, causing a sick, heavy feeling in his chest, but as a SWAT captain, Dunning had to do his best to maintain his composure. Besides, he’s faced death scores of times before. This time however, his enemy was the Pok&#233;mon.

--------------------

Not a soul moved as Brock and the bestial Pok&#233;mon stared at one another, Brock unknowing of what its next move was. He began having second thoughts on surrendering himself to the whim of the Drapion, but as a trainer and breeder, he knew he would never be able to take the life of a Pok&#233;mon, no matter what it did to him.

The Drapion took a few extra moments to stare at the puny human before it. Their eyes met and it seemed to try to read Brock’s mind as it continued its stare. Then, giving a snort, it turned around and began scuttling away. This action amazed Brock, for he thought he was surely a goner, but apparently the Pok&#233;mon saw no point to tear him to pieces. He then let out the breath he had been holding in during the standoff and gasped deeply for air.

“Huff… I can’t… huff… believe… huff… I got away with that…”

Then Brock looked to his side and spotted the weapon lying on the ground where he dropped it.

“Hm, that gun… should I or should I not take it…?”

He knew that the forest held the danger of vicious Pok&#233;mon in it, but he did not know what else the forest could hold for him. It could have bandits in it for all he knew. Still, there was something about picking up that rifle and aiming it at a living thing that unnerved Brock. Just the thought of taking a life made Brock apprehensive, as he did not know what his conscious would do to him, even if he killed in self defense.

Bending down to examine the rifle, Brock constantly ran the same question in his head and whether or not he could deal with the consequences. His choice could mean either life or death in the forest, but also determine how he would behave and think in the future if he survived either way.

The breeder then picked up the rifle and took more looks at it from all angles. He had no idea how to work the thing, as all he knew about guns was that one pulls the trigger and it fires a bullet. He decided to give it a shot…

Taking aim upwards so that he wouldn’t accidentally hit anything, he began wondering if even doing this was such a good idea, as the sound might alert something to his position.

“Well, I’m just thinking too much. I’ll just fire one shot and see if I can cope with that.”

It was now or never, and Brock pulled the trigger of the weapon and before he knew it, he had thrown it back onto the ground. It wasn’t the recoil, but the sound it made when he fired it hat was so loud that it startled into throwing it away.

“This… this was a bad idea… I’m no soldier; I’m just a Pok&#233;mon breeder. I’ve got to get out of here.”

And with that, he began running in the first direction he turned.

-------------------

Technical difficulties, for some reason when I try to post the second half of my chapter, it gets an internal server error.

**Update**
Apparently this internal server 500 error is widespread, so all I can do is redirect you to my FF.net account where you can get the entire chapter. There's a link in my sig.

I just realized I didn't review after your last chapter, which is sort of strange, seeing as I was bothering you about when it would go up. Ah, well.

Seems like not a whole lot happened in this chapter, though I suppose everybody seems to have made it out of danger, more or less. Except for Ash, and potentially Dawn, as it were. Also some good character development on May and Brock's parts. And for the record, I didn't notice any grammatical-type errors, so good work on that front (granted, I read it when you posted it, and skimmed back over it just now to recap, but still).